Just found Nog’s first prezzie!
Can’t say what it is here, of course, but it’s something rather unique. In fact, they told me at the shop he would be the only person in the world to have this exact thingy. Though I still have to do a bit of work on it . . .
What are some of the special presents you’ve got (or are thinking of getting) for those special people in your life? 
casa azahar 
I’ve dropped so many hints about Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford that I’ll be most disappointed if I don’t get it.
As for the special people…
trendy rechargeable candle-like lights which were featured in the Weekned Grauniad but were a bugger to find because they’re not in British shops; Some expensive Neals Yard Frankinsence cream; an amber necklace; A Killer-Sudoku-a-Day calendar (she’s addicted!).
A Marvin’s Marvellous Magic set; Still to get an mp3 player.
Some Nintendo DS games; A remote control flying saucer; A fold-a-plane-a-day calendar.
Poop wants blow pens.
Plus lots of stocking filler thingies from the legendary Tam Shepherd’s Joke Shop – a Glasgow institution. Check out the photo!
For less dear ones…I’ve got my brother the latest Vonnegut, which I’ve just read myself, and I’m half planning to make him a Duck tape wallet like my own.
For my sister…I was thinking of getting a couple of my photos framed – maybe my latest white lily and some of the calas.
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My curiosity is piqued.
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Got K one of his favorite films, “El Topo”, on DVD, and a copy of the Red Dwarf “Space Corps Survival Guide”. May still get something else, if I see anything “just right”. After the post-holiday sales begin, we’ll be getting ourselves a video capture device, but it counts, since some of the videos are his. 😉
A book with a sci-fi bent for K’s dad, a Wizard of Oz magnet set for his mom, a box of alphabet block books and a game (with an elephant that shoots butterflies out of his trunk, with nets to catch them with) for his niece and nephew, and a coaster set for his sister and brother-in-law.
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Edward, I quite desperately want the Jessica Mitford letters too, but I’ve resigned myself to buying it for myself later.
I’m not getting anything for the family, or at least I’m not planning to, but I am going to have them here for an entire fortnight, taking up space and eating everything in sight. That’s a reasonable substitute for things that can be giftwrapped, I suppose. (Or is it?)
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Psychocandy! My kids had that elephant game when they were little… it’s called Elefun! They loved it. Good choice!
–L
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Ivan, I think four days of family occupying your space and eating everything in sight is definitely a fair trade off for a mere gift. In fact, I’d hazard a guess that the pleasure of your company is a gift all in itself.
Yes, Elefun is the name of the game! I hope they’ll like it- niece will be four and nephew will be two soon. I thought it seemed appropriate. Plus I happen to be rather fond of elephants. 😉
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This year, I can’t think of anything I can afford; maybe some personal “certificates” — for dogsitting, or some such. Still thinking on it.
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Pc, I’ve got ’em here for 14 days. Four I could cope with, more or less, but 14 is going to be interesting. (Today I confirmed that I’ll be needed in the office on every day that isn’t a public holiday. It’s respite care, specially designed for Me.)
I still can’t help thinking I *should* get something or other for Mum, and for my sister. I might just watch them like a hawk when I lead them through the markets, and see what takes their fancy.
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I made my brother’s Duck tape wallet last night. It’s a doddle when you’ve got a proper cutting mat. But my sister’s photos are falling apart, due to IKEA’s inability to stock standard-sized photo frames. Or standard-sized anything come to that. And those frozen ‘Daim’ Bar cakes of theirs are just freaky.
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I think I’ve finished Xmas shopping. Mum got her pressie before she returned back across the Atlantic. DP and DJ got theirs from Japan. Geek is going to have a deposit at his account since I couldn’t find what he wanted in Japan.
Maybe the applicant Prince Consort will get one more, I haven’t decided on that yet.
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I’ve just finished my shopping while sitting at my desk at work. Large-sized photo prints, card mounts and clip frames ordered…from three separate companies.
“I love it when a plan comes together” – and I hope it does.
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Ivan, I apologize for mis-reading… 14 DAYS?! With FAMILY?! The horror. 😉
Seriously, though, as long as you can escape to work most days, I’ll bet you’ll manage just fine.
I think I’ll pick up replacement heads for K’s drum set, and perhaps a few pairs of sticks, in addition the the DVD and book. He’s been a good boy this year.
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No worries, Pc. I’ll cope somehow; it probably won’t be too bad. The main source of friction is no longer with us…
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I stopped off at the supermarket to buy milk last night. They had a huge pile of….Elefuns! And on special offer, too. Obviously God was trying to tell me something…
(and I was so exhausted after driving home through floods and wind that I left it in a bag at the checkout and had to go back this morning!)
Caths been having a stressful time at work lately, and it’s obviously getting to her. She asked me to make her a list for myself. I said “Well, you know what book I’m going to put at the top.” She said “No.”…I don’t know how many times she’s heard me raving about it.
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Quite possibly stress issues have kept Caths from clueing in to your obvious hints, Edward. I tend to start looking for hints sometime around late September but I know Nog doesn’t ever do this sort of thing.
The other day he assured me that he’d got a few hints I’d been leaving . . . trust me, they weren’t hints by that point; they were out-and-out in yer face totally obvious GIFT IDEAS. Well, if only to avoid getting stuff that I’ll never use or have any use for.
After that point I’m thinking I really don’t care anymore … feels stupid having to ask for stuff. The idea of gift-giving is to anticipate what your special person would enjoy receiving.
So I don’t especially want presents for Christmas. Though I would quite like expressions of love, which is what finding ‘that special something’ is all about.
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Fortunately K has a knack for finding people, not just me, things they’ll love, even if it’s not something they had in mind. Otherwise there’d be tears. The next person to give me a small appliance or a box of choclates for Christmas is going to have to have it surgically removed from their nether regions. 😉
I’m in agreement with az that what makes gift-giving special is the expression of love and the opportunity to make a special person feel loved.
Is it just me, or should there be some sort of formal proclamation that it is not necessary- and not expected- that every single person I have ever come in contact with should give me a Christmas gift, and vice versa? My own parents don’t bother giving me anything, not even a card. Why should K’s aunt, who I’ve met three times, feel obligated to buy me a gift? Sure, it’s the thought that counts, but it’s no fun when it becomes a chore for the giver and a bust for the receiver, is it?
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“The next person to give me a small appliance or a box of choclates for Christmas is going to have to have it surgically removed from their nether regions.”
Ha. Nog keeps saying that since I’ve vetoed electrial appliances, chocolates, jewellery and clothing that he is left not knowing what I’d like, 😕
Fair enough … I am a bit picky. But who wouldn’t think of/remember all the times I’ve walked down the street going … “oh isn’t that lovely!” or saying “wow, I’d love one of those!”, etc …
These things are expressed in whatever moment they happen to happen. They are never meant to make anyone feel obligated to do anything about it. But for me that’s the sort of info I start tucking away sometime in August, to be sure that I’ll surprise someone with something in December.
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Well…if anyone asks me, I always say,
“A book”.
“But what book?”, they ask.
“Any book that you like and think I might too.”
I’m easily pleased.
Unfortunately, everyone seems to find this concept extremely difficult.
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btw…
My photo plans are falling apart. I paid extra for the frames to be couriered. The company that’s being used is one I’ve had problems with in the past. I arrived home on Friday about five minutes after they’d left a card. They said the driver was now “Out of the area” – but it turns out he was only 2 mins away. After a long trail of unpleasant phone calls, someone in the sending depot franchise let slip that my parcel hadn’t been loaded onto their van. The lying bastards have done this kind of thing before.
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Merry Hogswatch! I saw the first hour and a half last night (It was two hours with all the ads) and I’m recording part two tonight.
oh and I’ve had ‘The Python Years’, all 608 pages. I’ll take two years to read it.
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Edward, my daughter was having my grandsons’ photos done in our local olan mills at the same time that they were going into administration, 4.30 on Thursday. She found out from a friend on Friday morning that she would not be getting the photographs.
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By a miracle…my photos have arrived (Some day my prints will come…”), despite the website tracking system showing them as stalled. I discovered last night that my local Tesco does the format I wanted! I picked up my mounts too from the PO this morning. All I need now is for the fucking courier company to redivert the frames, and that’s my shopping done.
And I even managed to write my cards last night! 🙂
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